Auction Update August 15th 2025

Auctions in the first week of August indicated a stronger trend than in July. Topping the performance list was Grand Whisky Auction, which delivered the highest hammer price so far this month with a bottle of Macallan The Red Collection 60 year old, selling for $72,192. This is only the second such bottle to sell at auction in 2025. Still, it represents a 24% drop in value over the six months since it set the highest hammer price of the month in February.

A Sotheby’s sale in New York featured the first opportunity to bid on bottles of I.W. Harper 34 year old. A lot containing WhistlePig The Boss Hog editions I–X fetched a hammer price of $19,000 and saved one lucky collector the effort of tracking down each edition individually. A bottle of Stewart Pure Rye 1898 made a hammer price of $5,500; these simply labelled bottles from Stewart Distilling Co., Philadelphia surface occasionally. Look out for the company name on bottles of Carstairs whiskey. Old MacBrayer 17 year old, distilled in the spring 1917 season and bottled in 1934, fetched $3,800, which is lower in value than these bottles have been fetching this year. The fill level on this particular bottle had dropped well below the shoulder, indicating significant evaporative losses.

New tariffs came into effect this month, which will affect you if you buy whisky at auction overseas. As we reported in April, the tariffs apply to the country of origin of the whisky in the bottle, not the location of the auction house. Tariffs are subject to change, but to help you bid strategically, here are the important figures you need to know for different whisky-producing nations; India: 50%, Switzerland: 39%, Canada: 35%, South Africa: 30%, Taiwan: 20%, Japan 15%, Ireland (excluding Northern Ireland): 15%, European whiskies 15%, Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and Australia:10%. No tariffs are applied to American whiskeys bought from auction houses outside of the U.S.

Unicorn Auctions – July 2025 No Reserves IV

Auction ended August 4th

• Rye: Lotta’s Home Papa’s Private Family Reserve 13 year old rye, $20,100. This was a private bottling for a liquor store owner in Germany and named after his daughter.
• Bourbon: Van Winkle Special Reserve 20 year old for Cork ‘n Bottle, $15,400. Distilled in 1967, this was a private bottling by Julian Van Winkle III for the Cork ‘n Bottle liquor store in Kentucky.
• American: Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash 2019 Release, $11,500. Master distiller Dan McKee and master of maturation Andrea Wilson worked together on the third release of this highly collectible series.

Whisky Auctioneer July 2025 Auction

Auction ended August 4^th

• Scotch: Macallan 1950 Tales of the Macallan Volume I, $53,157. A 71 year old Macallan crafted by Sarah Burgess, during her time as a Macallan whisky maker.
• Japanese: Karuizawa 1968 50 year old Water of Life Cask No. 6223, $19,934. The last time this closed distillery cask strength 50 year old from a single sherry cask made the 20-highest hammer price list was December 2024, though this hammer price was 21% lower.
• England: Compass Box Scot-Free, $4,917. Another bottle of this rarity made its way to auction after the spectacular hammer price of $7,577.

Sotheby’s, New York Whisky & Whiskey

Auction ended August 7th

• Scotch: Macallan in Lalique 65 year old, $32,000. A drop in value for this bottle, which sold twice in June for $40,000 and $50,000.
• Bourbon: I.W. Harper 34 year old, $9,000. With only 11 bottles created, bidding had been expected to exceed the estimates of $3,000 – $5,000.
• Slightly off the beaten path was this tequila entry: Patrón x Guillermo Del Toro Extra Añejo, $1,100. A spectacular collaboration with the Mexican filmmaker, best known for Pan’s Labyrinth, the bottle contains separate chambers for the liqueur and tequila.

Lot of the Week

Lot: Chichibu Distillery II
Sold at: Scotch Whisky Auctions, August 10^th 2025
Hammer Price: $282

Look out for the first Chichibu II release as bottles hit the secondary market from Japan. This single malt comes from Venture Whisky’s second distillery at the Chichibu site, which founder Ichiro Akuto opened in 2019.

Upcoming Auctions

August 18^th, Unicorn Auctions: The August No Reserves I sale includes a bottle of Dalmore 50 year old signed by Richard Paterson, released in 2016 to commemorate Paterson’s 50 years in the industry.

August 19th, Whisky.Auction: The sale includes a bottle of Michter’s Bomberger’s Declaration PFG 2025 Release.

August 27^th, McTear’s, Glasgow: A Journey Through Time. The sale includes multiple opportunities to buy Lombard Jewels of Scotland Bunnahabhain 1979 25 year old and Lombard Jewels of Scotland Glen Keith 1985 30 year old.

September 12^th, Sotheby’s, New York: The next Whisky & Whiskey auction will be a live sale.